Home // International Journal On Advances in Systems and Measurements, volume 2, number 1, 2009 // View article

Retrieving Information from Hybrid Spaces Using Handhelds

Authors:
Spyros Veronikis
Dimitris Gavrilis
Kyriaki Zoutsou
Christos Papatheodorou

Keywords: evaluation; library service; mobile and ubiquitous computing; personal digital assistant (PDA)

Abstract:
Hybrid spaces consist of information resources of both physical and electronic form. With the advent of electronic publishing and WWW hybrid libraries became popular and widely acknowledged for their high informative quality and anytime availability. On the other hand, modern computing handheld devices and wireless communication networks can support their users in accessing and using these information volumes wherever a need arises. Therefore, the user can query an information system about the electronic resources and simultaneously explore the nearby physical resources, in a way that enhances awareness of available information collections and relations among them, and also create a new experience while seeking in a hybrid space. In this paper we present the design methodology of creating such a service in an academic library, as well as the evaluation model, the procedure and the results from assessing satisfaction for the use of that service. Our findings imply that users believe that the unified search for physical and electronic resources is an important feature when seeking information in big physical and electronic collections.

Pages: 84 to 96

Copyright: Copyright (c) to authors, 2009. Used with permission.

Publication date: June 7, 2009

Published in: journal

ISSN: 1942-261x